No Country For Old Men – Cormac McCarthy – Episode 56

“The book is better”. “The book is better”. Start practicing that saying now; these are words to live by. The Buddies put this theory to the test while reading Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 classic, No Country For Old Men. The movie, inspired by the book, went on to become wildly successful, but the Buddies wanted to go straight to the source material. It got them talking about why it is important to pay people before talking down to them, if Texas is actually that big of a state, and the downfall of America (specifically smoking laws). So break out your Texas drawl, load up your cattle gun, and go on the run with us while we shoot through No Country for Old Men. 

Intro: (0:00-2:19)
Stock Up/Down (2:20-30:48)
Favorite Scene/Character (30:49-32:41)
 Love/Hate (32:42-42:13)
Conclusion (42:14-45:12)

Next Book: THE MARTIAN by ANDY WEIR

Next Movie: THE MARTIAN

Transcript for SEO Purposes 🙂

book club I’m Dylan here with the 16
year old I’m Shameless recording Keith
what’s up buddy
heads or tails d-man Tails never fails
Tails never fails yeah that she should
have known that oh I will probably get
into that but I’m obviously not
according to you and you’re obviously
not 16. but here at the Buddy book club
we’re breaking out some best sellers in
this week we’ll be discussing No Country
for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy if you’d
like to recommend a book for us to read
or reach out to us about any past
episodes or visit our website buddy
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your podcast so please download And
subscribe Keith No Country for Old Men
you had seen the movie and hated it I’ve
seen half the movie I stopped watching
it sorry yeah which is phenomenal I mean
I watch a lot of movies and I could
probably count on one hand the amount of
movies I’ve just like stopped watching
props to you really really it’s you know
it’s like that’s it’s in its own tier
well what is it that makes you stop for
me it if it’s like overindulgent when I
get taken out of the movie and I’m like
why would you ever do that it’s so
stupid that’s what gets me out I’m like
I’m not sure saying it insists upon
itself
for me usually I stopped watching a
movie because the wife and I also down
to watch a movie she’ll fall asleep I’ll
be like all right it’s time to go to bed
and then I just don’t revisit it there’s
no time we’ve like literally been like
no I’m done with this the last one I can
remember that I we started watching and
I stopped was death on the Nile the one
with uh the rock or whatever no no no I
mean well maybe he was I don’t know I
didn’t see the second half
you know I just wasn’t interested in it
usually if I’m sitting there I’m going
to finish it so we decided to do this
book because you had also read Cormac
McCarthy’s the road because we were
gonna do that for the podcast uh which
is a critically acclaimed book everyone
loves it and you hated it and so I said
all right cool I just won’t read it and
you were like well [ __ ] you
you made me do this and now you’re not
gonna do it so we had to go back to the
well after a good friend of mine
suggested this book and said it was very
good and he also hated the road so you
had some backup there
we might as well just jump into it with
some stock up stock towns Keith what do
you have for stock up No Country for Old
Men stock up paying someone so you can
talk down to them go on
like a prostitute I wrote a vlog about
this very subject about the basically
the worst part of having a job is that
someone pays you so because they pay you
you can’t just be like yo shut the [ __ ]
up to their face you know you basically
have to just take it and listen and be
like yep I’ll do that better next time
you know so they can just talk down to
you constantly sure and you just have to
you just have to wear it you have to eat
it which is basically what Moss does
when he picks up this 15 year old he
just picks her up and then like and is
like I’ll give you a ride and here’s
some money and then he just does that so
that he can just [ __ ] on her and talk
down to her the whole time he’s like oh
I’ll get your food for you oh I can pay
for the oh let me guess you’re going to
California aren’t you huh yeah and then
he just keeps on telling her like what
life is and stuff and it’s like I’d
rather him pick up a prostitute and you
cheat on his wife then do this this is
way worse to me he’s so smug he’s so
over the top and he’s putting her in
danger he knowingly is doing this he
knows he’s obviously she’s ends up
getting killed because of him it’s just
the worst there is that stock up though
you pay someone you can talk down to
them and [ __ ] all over them and that’s
what you’d have to take and that’s what
happened here yeah interesting I mean I
did actually originally have hitchhiking
as a stock up because you know normally
everyone says don’t don’t pick up
hitchhikers don’t hitchhike all that
stuff but the young lady that Llewellyn
picks up pretty much hits the jackpot
minus getting [ __ ] on for the whole time
but you know he makes you make sure
she’s safe uh he buys her lunch and then
he gives her a thousand bucks and so I
was like wow this hitchhiking like jot
this down really quickly as you stock up
smash cut to her being shot in the face
so uh yeah I had to scratch that off the
list so star unfortunately hitchhiking
did not make my stock up because
although you get all those sweet things
If It ultimately ends in your demise uh
it’s probably not probably not the best
also the lunch or she ordered like not a
that’s not a light lunch for a a
hitchhike which you get she got like
steak and mashed potatoes oh right like
crazy yeah she had like a whole steak
dinner yeah like what are you doing here
like you gotta go like a nice like light
turkey sandwich and make a salad on a
lunch I know like when you’re doing a
full trip after that you’re gonna
immediately [ __ ] once you get back in
the car right
yeah I mean you got to go for the turkey
club that’s the one the one thing I
would allowed him to talk down to her
about was be that like whoa what are you
doing here yeah it’s like you know I’m
not pulling over like you’re gonna have
to [ __ ] like an astronaut yeah yeah
seriously yeah okay so my first talk up
though because hitchhiking doesn’t count
was writing a screenplay before a novel
so I guess normally people just you know
write novels but Cormac McCarthy said
you know what I’m gonna write this
screenplay called No Country for Old Men
And once he finished he was like yeah
it’s more of a novel and like basically
transitioned it into a novel are you
saying it was a pretty novel idea
let’s see what you did there but it just
worked because when you’re reading the
book it feels I mean we say this in a
lot of books but it feels cinematic and
obviously it didn’t eventually get made
into a movie so that probably helps but
everything about it the way like the
timeline goes characters how easy they
are to like get to know everything about
the writing aspect of it I found to be
very cinematic and super enjoyable and
I’m not literary critic but you know
what I understand
from his writing style is like very
short sentences not a lot of punctuation
no quotation marks didn’t notice it at
all when you’re listening to an
audiobook that’s for sure yeah you don’t
you do notice kind of like the short
quick sentences to some degree but I
have the attention span of a titmouse so
I appreciated that yeah there was also a
lot of uh kind of one-sided
conversations where someone would say
something and they’d be like sir and
he’d have to like repeat it I thought
that was cool at first but then it kind
of got a little tiring you mean like
with like Anton sugar when everyone
always questions what he’s saying
because it’s like wait what like that’s
so far up I get it for him but then even
what’s the police chief named Bell or
whatever Tom or Tom Ed yeah but he would
say something that was like profound and
then he’d be like sir or like what do
you mean by that and then he just repeat
the same thing all right yeah I got a
little annoyed with that but no I agree
with you the book even though you kind
of have images in your head with a movie
like it really does paint a pretty good
picture and the scenery and everything
like that was really cool yeah it’d be
funny if he had to have like a word
limit for the book and he wrote the book
and it was way too short because it was
originally a screenplay and he’s like
I’m just gonna make everyone repeat what
they say so it doubles the size of the
book right there boom down that’s fine
yeah
I would yeah if you just amidst that I
wouldn’t even be mad about that
everyone’s done that obviously and for a
school page yeah exactly it’s like the
1.25 spacing you know really sneak it in
there or whatever the case is yeah yeah
uh what else did you have for stock up
stock up Schrodinger’s Cat and quantum
mechanics
the listeners well I don’t really know I
didn’t look at the Wikipedia page again
and I still don’t know but Anton I
always think his last name’s Chagrin
what’s it sure Sugar Sugar I’m gonna say
Chagrin for the rest of the pods just be
ready for that his whole existence was
basically furthering quantum mechanics
right like every single thing he talked
about was basically like I’m not making
this Choice the choices have led you to
this he has a quote like somewhere you
made a choice all right it is namaz’s
wife is like the coin doesn’t have to
have no say in this and then he’s like
the coin is choosing this I’m not doing
anything because the coin is really the
box right for the cat in this in this
scenario where
the coin he puts his hand over the coin
and it’s just a matter of she’s both
dead and alive at that that exact moment
right and he has no determination over
that the coin does so really he’s just
furthering that science and he’s just
actually a great scientist and a good
guy I think that’s what I think that’s
his moral beliefs and his moral compass
and you know what I have no problem with
that I mean people always have these
religious reasons for doing things all
these things he’s actually just
following science so I had no problem
with it and I’m stock up for both of
those things yeah and I did like about
this book the idea of Fate versus Free
Will was Llewellyn meant to go like he’s
out there hunting Pronghorn Pronghorn
which uh if you played some Red Dead
Redemption too it’s how I spend a lot of
my days so you know I don’t find any any
boxes of money though but it’s
interesting because he’s just out there
doing that and was it fate that he goes
and finds this Trove of money but then
he then has the free will to decide do I
take
and you know so there’s a lot of
especially when it comes to Sugar
Chagrin excuse me uh you know there’s a
lot of
fate verse Free Will and he obviously
believes in some level of Fate where
everything is predetermined predestined
which is then funny at the end when he’s
just driving along and gets T-boned and
Bones start popping out everywhere
but but it doesn’t die you know you
can’t you can’t kill the guy you know
you can’t kill him which is phenomenal
love that aspect I don’t know if it
would have been better or not like some
Poetic Justice if he had had died right
there it would have been kind of like
the wire with uh what’s the name getting
killed Omar where he’s just like it’s
not some big shootout or whatever it’s
just like some random kids that that
shoot him yeah
which I I thought that was part that was
great even though I loved Omar obviously
yeah well it’s funny that you say that
because I mean we’re just getting ahead
of us and spoiling everything so why not
but I had sugar as you know my favorite
character and it’s because it’s because
you know he’s got a code it reminded me
a lot of Omar granted his code is
different and it’s definitely a [ __ ]
up code but either way it’s it’s a code
he lives by it yeah I would have liked
someone in the book to actually have
flipped the coin and been right the
store clerk did the store clerk call it
right yeah I think he survived oh I
think that was why they did that to show
he’s not just out there killing people
just because he’s like I love it it’s
like no this is principle he flipped the
coin and then the star click was both
dead and alive at that point yeah yeah
and I like the idea of people are just
kind of sheep going through this life
but when that coin is in the air or
whatever the case is you feel alive like
Fight Club where he takes the guy out
back and he’s like if you don’t become a
veterinarian I’m gonna come back and
kill you he’s felt something for the
first time then you know yeah I was
thinking Deer Hunter uh have you seen
director
oh I’m thinking of the arcade game I’m
like wow that’s a Big Buck Hunter
but I also have never felt more alive
than playing Big Buck Hunter and if
people yeah yeah okay the biggest issue
is when you see someone at a bar this
Big Buck Hunter there okay I’m gonna
play a couple games and you see someone
with an muzzle the gun like on the
screen it’s like buddy oh you can’t have
that beginner mode like there’s a reason
the guns got a cord on it it’s not so
you’re gonna steal it it’s because you
stand as far back as that chord lets you
and you go for a hunt like that’s that’s
the point and if you’re not shooting for
head shots what are you doing right I
don’t know I don’t care about the heart
go straight for that little bead between
the eyes I’ll plant myself at a bar all
day with that there and just you you get
a little drinking games going with it I
mean oh exactly nothing better exactly
nothing better yeah but sugar is he’s
like some sort of like ancient demon
he’s not really a man
you know it’s just so interesting his
character in that he has this like No
Remorse but he’s also super business
like at the end when he has the meeting
with the guy he’s like yo here to do
business he doesn’t [ __ ] people over you
hire me to do a job I’m gonna do that
job simple as that I don’t I took yeah
he was like here’s the two million back
yeah minus right minus 37 026 that I
needed for expenses he’s like you know
got his buck slip that he’s writing down
gas after he almost murders a guy like
you know okay I spent 12 dollars in gas
there let’s let’s make sure our expenses
are well taken care of the guys taxes
must be great he’s not gonna get audited
yeah yeah he’s good yeah he’s on top of
his taxes so it was just a super pure
evil but evil with a compass kind of
thing so loved love sugar like I’d want
a TV show about him I just want a whole
spin-off although I don’t really want to
know like what he’s doing afterwards but
like you know like they say you know
he was basically just watching TV not
changing the channel sitting there
staring at the TV I was like I like this
guy just a complete psychopath yeah it’s
like Golden Girls zombies are fine
whatever I’m good with it uh what else
do you ever stock up I didn’t anymore
stock up I had well talk about sugar
some unorthodox weaponry and in his his
cattle gun there which when I first saw
the movie I don’t think feel like
there’s almost a point to do the movie
because these are exactly the same well
I never finished it so I made out though
they don’t have to watch it I mean this
book made me want to watch the movie
because I was like oh this [ __ ] will
really come together but okay I mean I
know it’s gonna insist upon itself again
but whatever I’m just fascinated how you
think it insists upon itself because
I mean that’s what we have to do the
review again it was just like a super
well shot Coen Brothers movie and it was
like perfectly casted probably coincides
with my hates which I can I’ll hold off
on okay all right well hold on but yeah
on Orthodox might be the cattle gun I
mean they’re multi-purpose you can blow
out someone’s brain without leaving
evidence I mean how many times you see
the cop show and they’re like all right
get the bullet out of the brain Forensic
Files oh you got a casing yep let’s
match the casing up who where’s this gun
come from it’s like no this thing just
plows a rod into your head and then
that’s that there’s no evidence I mean
obviously they pull you over and you got
a cattle prod cattle gun thing in the
back in your trunk then you’re probably
out locks it’s got multi-purpose if you
were Mr hands you could probably do some
butt stuff with it Ah that’s a deep cut
for anyone out there’s early internet
don’t Google it do not Google it do you
remember Simpsons episode when Homer
goes to the steakhouse did you ever see
that one no you you quote Simpsons a lot
and I I remember like five episodes yeah
it was a good episode he goes to the
steakhouse and it’s like you can pick
your own cow out so he’s like in the
back oh this is super exciting he’s
gonna like pick the cow that he wants to
stay from he’s like I want that one and
he’s like okay great the guy takes the
cattle gun to her dies he’s like um
actually I want this one
okay that’s fine and like that goes on
for like a solid minute it was great it
was really really good classic Homer but
yeah that was my introduction to cattle
guns and uh until I had seen this movie
and I’m just I’m just glad that it was
like part of the book because it’s super
fun idea and we really just get
introduced to it at the beginning after
he kills that cop which was pretty
the guy over
and just some random guy in the street
gets pulled over right to the head like
oh [ __ ] so just just love a good
unorthodox weapon you don’t always need
to have you know guns and knives in here
I mean he really should have came back
and killed those two kids though that
was a big mistake by him but yeah we’re
gonna do yeah I know and I wonder why
like maybe he was hurt but afterwards
we’re like Ed Tom or Tom Ed whatever his
name is goes over and and talks to them
like they should have been they should
have been long gone but you know what
those kids were pretty much a steel trap
so those kids ain’t no narcs that
hundred bucks buys you a lot a lot these
days you know exactly let’s get stuck
down what do you ever stuck down
everything being bigger in Texas okay
all this time I thought Texas was this
huge state that it was like vast
savingly in this book everyone’s just
bumping into each other everyone’s
bumping into each other and getting in
like street fights in the state huge
it’s pretty big how are they constantly
in the same place they’re like well
they’re going to that hotel in El Paso
and I like looked up El Paso I guess it
is a Tiny Town it only has a million
people it’s at 260 square miles which
means it’s basically a fifth the size of
Rhode Island but yeah they’re just like
yeah we’re going to El Paso and they’re
like okay then I guess I’ll find them in
that one hotel motel there this tiny
tiny City what is going on here
especially after the tracker which in
1980s I have to imagine the tracker is
not like this it’s not Google Maps you
know but somehow they’re just easily
finding everyone and everyone’s leading
to the same place and they know they’re
gonna be in this one city so I guess
we’ll meet up there it’s like huh yeah
it was MapQuest it was it didn’t really
make a lot of sense to me but uh I guess
Texas is Tiny so talk down Texas
especially that he was able to find him
with the tracker which leads me to my
first talk down which is return to the
scene of a crime I mean Llewellyn would
have been scot-free had he not decided I
don’t really even understand why he went
back didn’t make any sense to the city
of the crime why don’t you do an
anonymous call to the police and be like
hey there’s a big shootout in the desert
you know that would be much more helpful
than going and giving the guy what are
you gonna do after you water he’s not
gonna bleed out right talk about Texas
being small though the the town is like
30 people so I’d be like all right
anonymous tip it came from one of 30
people so oh I guess that’s true yeah
you could no but you could just be like
I saw a gang related shootout and uh or
like I heard a gang really shoot it I
don’t want to give my name because I’m
nervous like you know whatever right
like that’s who they’re not gonna track
you take an accent oh hello I’m here in
Texas and there was a shootout there
seemed to be some over the Border folks
yeah or just send a [ __ ] Anonymous
letter
million things yeah Lou Allen what you
doing over there I’m writing a letter to
the police
Lou Allen being a guy’s name though also
and then him calling him Moss half the
time then louelle on the other half I
was very confused I kind of like I like
the name Luellen it’s a nice name okay
all right all right I mean it has Ellen
in it which is a female’s name right
I’m not a big fan of putting male or
female between names
uh we have I guess there is Dylan
there’s girls look at that and in uh Top
Gun the woman’s name is Charlie great
name for a lady Charlie Charlie’s Angels
yeah no Charlie’s a man
perfect yeah but yeah so he should he
should never have gone back simple as
that and uh yeah but first but you know
what doesn’t make sense that everyone
does it everyone returns to the scene of
a crime it’s like actually a true thing
like they always anytime there’s like a
memorial service or they if a crime
scene’s set up they immediately have
cameras and stuff because they just know
that like murderers are gonna come back
for some reason or another people just
get drawn back to those crimes grade
Llewellyn did it for a good reason he
wanted to give some dying guy a little
bit of water just didn’t work out there
again what was he gonna do the guy’s
gonna still die if he doesn’t give him
medical attention so wouldn’t calling it
in be better yeah well he just want to
give him water he didn’t want to save
his life he just wanted to die without
you know parched lips simple as that
what else did you ever stalk now
spending money is knocked down or if we
have a call back to another book blank
check stock down I mean same thing I
mean you remember the inheritance games
where don’t tell me about that she had
billions of dollars and just didn’t know
how to spend the money this is the same
thing here you get you pick up 2.4
billion or a million dollars in 1980
that’s a lot of money again you
shouldn’t return to the scene of the
crime you should change the bag out just
because I would not want to be carrying
the same bag that someone might know is
from that drop right and you never know
if there’s blood or whatever what’s in
it right now once you change the bag you
realize oh the cash is a Tracker in it
bang problem solve but the whole thing
is once you need to go on the Run Drive
somewhere else go to California fly to
and it’s 1980 fly to Hawaii fly to
Mexico fly to go wherever you want why
are you staying in the same town and
then spending money at motels get a
secure Hotel go to a place spend the
money while what are we doing here it
didn’t make any sense why he was doing
what he was doing the whole time this is
what I think what the movie was pissing
me off what does he do do you understand
what’s going on I do and I see that like
Carla Jean or whatever I think that’s
her name his wife her mom’s in El Paso
or whatever the case is and you know she
needs taken care of because she’s sick
so why not be like baby I love you and I
love your mom she’s a real Saint so what
we should do is we should pack up all of
our things we should pick up your mom
and we should drive to the Northeast
because they have some of the best
hospitals
in the country we can go to New York go
hit up Cedar Sinai we can go to Boston
they got great hospitals up there great
oncology Wards we can go up there get
her the best treatment ever she’s like
wow that’s amazing like I love you even
more the only problem is I’m 19 years
old what the [ __ ] have you been doing
according 16 year old girl you sick [ __ ]
at Walmart of all places you went in to
buy some charcoal and you came out with
instead of 16 briquettes you came up
with a 16 year old that’s just not
that’s just not appropriate no but I
totally I totally agree with you I think
it might be a level of familiarity and
also just who knows what you’re gonna do
when you don’t know what the [ __ ]
going on especially after the situation
when he goes back and then the whole
shootout happens you know then you’re
just flying by the seat of your pants he
needed to kind of and maybe he want
honestly like maybe he wants that he
hated his wife right well I yeah there’s
like some really interesting
conversations with the bees like you
open your one more time I’m gonna take
you in the back and screw you it’s like
when that first scene went down I was
like so he’s like 70 and she’s like 70
also like they’re just like an old
couple right and then they’re like she’s
19 I’m like is this a difference
she’s 12. yeah yeah
that didn’t make any sense that
yeah but he’s also a Vietnam vet who
obviously like experienced that living
super close to the edge life when he’s
sniping North Viet Cong you know maybe
he just wanted a little piece that life
back because he’s just a welder now and
he’s a welder living in a trailer
there’s no excitement or whatnot so
maybe it wasn’t necessarily just about
then he does find the tracker and then
instead of just being like all right
I’ll just leave this here and then I’m
off free you know he’s like I’ll just
wait for him to come now what why and
then not shoot him again this is like
the whole point of where like you get
taken out of the book or a movie or you
start being like what the [ __ ] is he
doing it doesn’t make any sense I
thought that shootout was super fun so I
enjoyed it but my next talk down ties
into yours because it’s it’s holding on
to a briefcase when you find it packed
with over a million dollars and I know
it’s a long stock down but
if you’ve never learned anything from
anything you who knows what’s in that
briefcase like you said you know there
could be a tracking device in there
which there was there could be those ink
packs you know I know the the briefcase
from a drug bust but you know maybe it
was previously taken from a bank or
maybe they’re doing the same kind of
thing there might not even be you know
there might be a bunch of ones in the
middle of the whole thing you have no
idea what the case is we might be
sequential bills you know you might want
to take a look at them
Casino you know start washing them yeah
exactly do something but so yeah the
whole thing about holding on to the
previous like no no no step one is get a
duffel bag you take it out you inspect
you flip through each wad of notes and
you make sure that you’re all square
away and then you toss that briefcase
into a river and you get the [ __ ] out of
Dodge Llewellyn didn’t do it I think he
wanted to he wanted to be on the Run he
wanted to do that whole thing that’s my
that’s my take when he started getting
under Fire or things happening he was
super resourceful and smart it didn’t
really make sense that he was like all
right so I’m gonna do all these things
and hide this bag with like poles and he
was just like all of a sudden thinking
very clearly when he needed to but when
it came to just general basic logic he
was just an idiot so I don’t I don’t get
it why he was he was like that except
for when he got all fitted out when he
went to the went to the cowboy store the
clothing store after coming back from
Mexico so good just like walk walks in
it almost reminds me of like GTA or
something like that he just like walks
into his store with nothing on and then
comes out with like fresh haircut Big 10
gallon hat ostrich boots or whatever the
case was it’s great loved it Stetson why
not go for it get yourself
um what do they call them those Ties
That bolo ties those ties that they wear
down in your part in San Diego love that
love all of it uh did you have any other
stock Downs last one male Stockton mail
m-a-i L yes correct like Kramer and
Seinfeld I mean I’d be boycotting male
after reading this book if mail was
still a thing these days but I mean you
basically just walk in someone’s house
and just check their mail and be like
okay so here’s all the people they
called and here’s like all the all the
bills they have and base every single
thing about your life is somehow
transferred in your mail imagine that
today if uh at the end of the month
Apple sent you a piece of mail that was
like here’s all the text messages you
sent here’s all the people you called
some people would be horrified you know
all the subscriptions browsers oh yeah
yeah right oh yeah exactly all that
stuff just being shown there so yeah if
you ever want to stalk someone or
anything go back in time and just
everything well it’s a federal offense
you can’t do that well if you’re if
you’re murdering people I think it’s uh
it’s okay well you already have a
federal I think you’re uh breaking some
bigger looks good it’s a really good
point it’s super interesting that you
know when you forget a bunch of this
stuff because it was around when we were
kids but now it’s not now everything
just comes like it’s auto pay it’s in
your Gmail or whatever the case cases we
used to get a phone bill that had a list
of all the numbers you dialed and you
know itemized what not it was always
weird to me and it still is weird to me
when people hold on to mail granted like
I don’t clean out my my inbox or
anything but the fact that you’re using
square footage of your house to store
mail is just super super odd to me and I
feel like everyone has a junk drawer
with like some weird weird mail in it
but at that time in the 80s I’m sure
everyone had old letters and stuff not
even like personal letters but letters
are in Banks and letters from this and
that just stuffed in drawers so sugar is
he’s a pretty good detective himself he
sits down and has himself a little ham
sandwich and reads the mail while I was
watching The Golden Girls so good for
him you know he sees there’s only like
three numbers called and I mean I know
you’re talking about how everything
seems so close and how the heck couldn’t
Llewellyn have got away but
sugar is like he has the ability to
figure out wherever you are wherever you
went like he knows everything well
that’s why it’s just like take off to
wherever you know don’t go any place
you’ve ever been yeah it seems like it’s
easy enough and it’s not like there’s
the internet where you can just track
people down and things like that you get
you could literally just walk up to an
airport in the 80s and be like I’m going
to go on the next flight and I’m gonna
pay cash they’re like all right sounds
good yeah I mean the guy crossed the
border in a [ __ ] a hospital outfit
and they’re like well you served in the
Army so come on come on in I think you’d
probably still do that actually like
even if you didn’t have a passport if
you’re going back into the us from the
Mexican yeah they would probably Frisk
you up a little bit more and I love the
only problem the guy had was about his
wife did you love her or whatever the
case is yeah yeah like buy her buy
everything a flowers when you get back
what are you doing everybody you know it
was a it was an interesting heel turn
right there it was there you went from
like who the hell are you to like where
did you serve oh okay you served oh
great great do you love your wife make
sure you take care of her she loves you
be nice it’s like all of a sudden we got
Dr Phil in the house I just had last one
and I hate to say it but
America sorry um you’ve done this a
couple now I know but this one this
one’s bad you know Carla Jean asked
I smoke and he says this is still
America ain’t it well I mean America Has
Changed nowadays nope there’s no Freedom
here immediately if you want to light up
a butt someone probably throw throw a
whole gallon of water on you beat like
the ice bucket challenge all over again
and they said what are you doing this is
America you can’t just smoke wherever
you want [ __ ] all right America
you’ve gone downhill if Carla Jean in
her distress who wants to light up a
butt in a restaurant let her do it okay
do you really think that no absolutely
not I don’t think that at all okay
absolutely terrible it’s crazy to think
like in our lifetime when we were kids
you went to a restaurant and they said
smoking or non-smoking what and the
difference was nothing they were one
table across from each other like smoke
is just contained it’s not like you’re
in a casino or something or they have
you know super high ceilings and these
incredible air ventilation systems we’re
not only at TGI Fridays like how much is
the air moving in that place there’s so
much grease trapped in those things it’s
fascinating to me like that that still
exists I mean the wife’s been watching
Seinfeld which is a throwback and you
see like those conversations are
happening granted New York was one of
the first people to ban it but you know
those conversations happen at
restaurants in those shows and you’re
just like holy smokes it’s crazy well
pun intended it’s crazy that that was
like a thing like when we were kids like
that was a thing well if people wanted
to do like cocaine next to me I wouldn’t
care at all but smoking is just so
invasive yeah you know what I mean it’s
just so [ __ ] annoying it bothers
other people if anyone wants to do
whatever they want to do and they’re a
thing that doesn’t impact me I don’t
give a [ __ ] yeah I completely agree with
you you want to do the Coke or non-coke
section
these people have been really coked out
do you want to be on that section nah
I’m good thank you though okay good hats
off to them though you know this is
America’s stuff it is like hey if you
want to cigarette after dinner like just
go outside like don’t blow it into that
baby’s face you seems pretty
straightforward
all right did you have a favorite scene
in this one I think I already kind of
hinted at it but Anton and and the wife
scene I thought was great I mean it was
already preluded to with the store click
and him it was a lot of like
philosophical talk a lot of Shredder’s
cat talk going on and uh I think he lost
a I’m gonna spoil my my favorite scene
or my my love but I’ll say it I really
like that he killed the wife at the end
that was awesome no so that really
solidified him as a a great evil
character if he got away or she like
somehow like pulled a gun out and shot
him I’d be like oh come on but the fact
that he was like I gotta do what I gotta
do and then just murders her and that’s
it that was great there is indeed No
Country for Old Men I like that one for
sure I mean anything with with sugar I
was into I liked him with I forget what
the guy’s name is but uh Woody
Harrelson’s character in the movie
basically the other guy who’s I don’t
remember him getting introduced okay he
didn’t make it that far the other guy
that was going to like the assassin yeah
who was like basically found Llewellyn
at the Mexican
Hospital
so when sugar and him meet up sugars
caught him and they’re just kind of
shooting the [ __ ] and the guy does a
great job of like attempting to call
Sugar out for all of his [ __ ] and
she hears just like has nothing you know
doesn’t care like it does not affect him
whatsoever I just love that scene
because it was this guy attempting to be
like well [ __ ] you like what do you
think you live by this code it’s a bunch
of [ __ ] this that and the other
thing he’s like all right well you’re
still gonna die so it is what it is yeah
it doesn’t change anything here and they
like explain that death pretty
graphically that for some sadistic
reason enjoyed because he went to put
his hand up
so you’re going to close your eyes it’s
like no I’m not it’s like yeah you’re
gonna close your eyes it’s like [ __ ] man
this guy is dark so I love that stuff
let’s get into some loves what do we
love about No Country for Old Men I
spoiled the the first one was just the
the wife dying but I just liked it kind
of like was the definition of walking
like you know the place okay he’d like
walk up to the hotel clerk and be like
give me the records and they’re like no
I can’t do that you’re gonna have a
police officer and he’s like give me the
records and you’re just like [ __ ] yeah
this guy is the best he’s basically if
you play GTA Grand Theft Auto he’s
basically playing GTA while everyone
else is just like a NPC yeah NPC yeah
he’s just walking around like what you
would do in GTA where you’re he’s just
like pulling people over in cars
throwing him out shooting him in the
head taking their car like driving off
going after Hotel clerks man like
pulling a gun up like give me this [ __ ]
and they’re like all right I guess
there’s no he’s No Remorse nothing
that’s going on in his head so yeah I
just like no value for human life his
idea is like all right if I’m here then
like I’m kind of like the Grim Reaper
you happen to have found me it’s your
worst day that’s on you or like that’s
on the world it’s not even like your
fault it’s too bad yeah
my fault it’s just like well you happen
to be in front of me and I’m gonna go
through you I mean one of the things I
love is I just let the characters
themselves were great they all felt
alive to me and real and like having Ed
Tom or whatever I think that’s what his
name is I think his name is Belle that’s
his last name oh okay well because they
call him Tom Ed Tom whatever Tom Ed I
I’m pretty sure that’s it we’re gonna
just keep going back and forth and if
someone listened to this they’d be like
his name is
okay oh yeah okay so
even having his character in there is
just less
different mindset if it’s like where is
the world going I fought in World War II
it was simpler back then you know I
became a sheriff I don’t disagree with
you on that by the way I thought his
character was worthless like what does
he actually do all he does is Just Wine
the whole book every chapter starts out
with him being like in my day and I
think it’s just the author basically
complaining through his voice but what
does the character actually do he
literally just shows up and and narrates
what already happened there’s like
literally zero purpose for him the only
thing he does in the story is I don’t
know how they’re bugging his phone or
bugging the wipe Zone but the only thing
he does is give away that they’re in El
Paso it’s the only thing he does for any
part of the part of the plot everything
else is him just whining well I’m like
this guy [ __ ] he represents like I
think a different moral compass
obviously than Joker does and he also
has it’s not like his moral compass is
so much different than the average
person everyone looks at Anton sugar and
thinks this guy’s an insane person so
like we you don’t need his character to
tell us that but we wouldn’t have the
title if it wasn’t for him because he’s
an old man and there’s No Country for
him like don’t you get it I think the
whole thing is that is you guys have
some poem sailing to
visitarium by WS yeah there you go I
mean that’s that’s the reason for it
it’s not because he’s in it I feel like
we could have had him showing up and him
just narrating and if we didn’t know
what happened in the room I think it
would be interesting but ninety percent
of time we already knew what happened
although the one time that we I kind of
wanted to know what happened they do do
that with when Moss gets killed I was
like wait he just died what happened
here what the hell is that what’d you
think about that for for Moss just kind
of you don’t see anything you just know
that he’s dead at the end when I first
read it I didn’t like it and then the
more I got away from it I was like all
right that was actually kind of cool and
also Anton doesn’t kill him which is
kind of not a really great climax there
yeah I thought it was good that it
wasn’t just and similar to Carla Jean
dying it just wasn’t like your typical
story like the way that you thought it
was gonna end which I think ties back to
Ed Tom’s character in that okay we have
this idea of how things are going to
progress so he’s like all right World
War II this thing happens okay yeah I
have the Sleepy town okay is that things
are gonna go next thing you know it’s
like kids are have green hair you know
and it’s like oh what where’s I’m like
what does this have to do with it punks
come from like again it’s just him
whining and complaining about back in my
day we used to get mad at kids at school
for chewing gum and now like they’re
doing heroin did you find the characters
felt alive to you like they felt like
really fleshed out characters I just
didn’t like Moss’s character but you
definitely know someone that’s masa’s
character you know so but I I just
didn’t think he was useful to the story
in any way it was just more like a way
for the narrator or the author to like
sound off about how pissed off he is at
this generation all right what about my
next love which is how the book bounces
around between places and characters and
like kind of timelines did you like that
or did you not like that how so I didn’t
think it really was that big of a
timeline she shift was it I mean there
was some time limit shifts just in like
more like Fast forwards like the
Llewellyn death for example like we’d
seen him with the girl they’re drinking
be a couple of beers next thing you know
and Tom’s pulling up to a crime scene
it’s like oh [ __ ] what happened here so
there was like some jumps in there but
also just like them basically going from
like one character to another and in a
totally different place you know you’re
you’re with Llewellyn in Mexico then
you’re with Carla Jean up in her place
then you’re with sugar who’s on the road
you know that kind of thing I thought it
like kept it moving well the problem was
for me was that it felt like it was all
the same place like that’s what the
whole Texas is being tiny but feel like
that’s what the Texas is huge it has
multiple different areas and different
atmospheres like every city in Texas is
slightly different but it also felt the
same to me like there was no like oh but
now they’re in Austin and it’s this
different feel and it’s different vibe
than they were in you know El Paso a
minute ago it was just like oh they’re
all out in the desert like of Texas
spitting tobacco and being like ah kids
my days you know that’s what like
everything felt like to me I don’t know
if that was I just read it wrong or it
didn’t seem any different it wasn’t like
there was like this huge like you know
change in scenery I like the idea of a
spittoon what’s what’s that in like the
old wild west or a jar on the ground
that you spit Your tobacco into as
opposed to spitting it on the floor oh
okay all right I just thought about that
was that old guy sitting around with
their spitting tobacco and what I’ve
been you know platoon it’s nice nice
thing to have around we should get one
let’s get one let’s start spinning I
don’t know what else you do yeah yeah
fair enough
uh what about hate I actually did like
the World War II background stuff by the
way with the character but I I think I
already told you I didn’t really like
Belle as a narrator or just really his
purpose in the book I also thought the
ending I almost wish the ending kind of
after he kills the wife it should just
go to to Belle and him being like I
gotta retire because I can’t there’s
there’s too much evil in the world and
that’s it like that’s how it should
ended the whole like then he got hit by
the car and then I’m gonna go ask these
kids about this and then I’m gonna talk
about dreams I had about my dad it’s
like what does this have to do with
anything like it didn’t really the story
was over once he kills the wife but
they’re like let’s do another you know
100 Pages after that it wasn’t a hundred
stuff doesn’t matter well you know what
I mean oh so something else is gonna
happen it’s like nope this is none of
this stuff really matters at the end
here yeah I agree it had a little bit
too much of a soft landing and I feel
like after the wife was killed that was
like holy [ __ ] like that really happened
because I was with you I was like oh is
she gonna pull out a little pistol and
like shoot him and be like oh that’s the
fates have turned I gotcha but no it’s
like you can’t escape it you know you
can’t escape the Grim Reaper you can’t
escape your fate and I thought that was
how it was gonna end granted I did like
a little comeuppance for him and once
again I also like that he didn’t die
because that would have almost been like
two Storybook of Randomness so it kept
us on our toes but I did think that I
was like kind of checked out after that
and I and I knew based on how much time
was left in it that it wasn’t going to
be like Ed Tom went and found him and
they had their own Meetup I was like
this is just gonna end but like so so I
do like though that we did the inclusion
of him being like but I don’t ever wear
a seat belt just in case you know a car
is going 60 miles per hour through a
stop sign it’s in T-Bones me I can jump
to the other side yeah just like wait
what what kind of physics are we talking
about here yeah it’s exactly you can
totally jump over the middle console at
that time honestly the the ending aspect
and maybe and I don’t know if I really
want this but the whole Corporation
structure of how these drugs are moved I
just found fascinating and I’ve been
listening to power of the dog which I
think I suggested to you and like you
read yeah right um so I was listening to
that on the side just as I was uh you
know waiting for you to catch up on
these books which to be fair to all
those people out there he’s usually way
ahead of me so I appreciate that uh I’m
I’m now ahead so I figured I might as
well as that and that has so much
background on it and it’s very similar
if so if you like this book no control
man I would definitely check out power
of the dog because it’s similar in this
like Border Town drug trade kind of
situation if you like narcos the show
narcos I mean definitely just very
similar definitely check out power of
the dog so I I wanted a little more zoom
out and I I like that this is a specific
story about these characters but then I
just got interested in whoa who is this
core probably who’s this like oil tycoon
Who’s involved in this drug running like
how does that work how did you get
involved in that but that’s probably
just just another book so I didn’t
necessarily hate it but I would I would
have liked to see who’s pulling the
strings
I guess we’ll just get into it you would
recommend it then yeah I think it was
good I think it was solid I mean Anton
is such a good character that that
really made the book that’s it I don’t
think that necessarily the story was the
most amazing and I already said I didn’t
really like any other care I didn’t like
moss at all either like it wasn’t like I
liked him either so I didn’t really like
all the characters otherwise but I
thought it was just an interesting take
on it it was much better than Cormac
McCarthy book I read I just don’t think
he’s he’s probably not the author for me
but I can respect he’s obviously a great
writer it’s just not what I really like
but it’s still a good book I like that
you said you respect him as an author
because that’s what the world says but
you hate his books it’s perfect he’s a
really good writer and greater writing
dialogue also I think but I’m more of
like a narrative driven it’s like very
similar to the other book I read where
it goes into a lot of like Society talk
and like why things have gone wrong and
everything like that there’s a lot of
like God talk too and like similar to
this book which I was like I don’t care
Michelle yeah I think if we were smarter
I like this book as well I think if we
were smarter we would like it more
because I think there’s probably
I think there’s probably like a lot more
to talk about like I feel like this
would be in like a literary class or
something like that the fact that we can
enjoy it and it’s also probably
something that we you know is is a
little over our heads and someone that
actually knows something could sit us
down and explain it to us and we go oh
oh that that’s pretty cool you know a
literary club would be like Anton’s the
worst in his hypocrisies are so like
throughout the whole book and I’ll be
like wait what this guy’s the best he’s
awesome like someone that knows Lord of
the Rings or something along those lines
when you’re watching the movies if
they’re explaining a little bit of
backstory to you like oh sauron’s
actually like a fallen angel like he
came down it’s like he’s in the kind of
the same class as Gandalf but higher
it’s like oh okay that’s interesting you
know I didn’t know that as I was not too
preachy than uh then I’m here for it so
I feel like someone along those lines
could could make us even enjoy more but
yeah I liked it it’s not gonna not gonna
crack my top ten but I’m glad that there
was a nice rebound after the road for
you yeah that’s that’s important for me
so smuggling drugs murder what else what
else do you need yeah all right perfect
exactly we’ll probably talk offline
whether or not we want to we want to do
this movie or not but you guys may see
it coming in the future otherwise we’re
going back to why do I forget the um the
author’s name the Martian anywhere the
Martian next we had previously read
project Hail Mary which has been on this
podcast we’ve did Artemis which has been
on this podcast so now we’re going back
to his first book which is the Martian
and it’s funny because we thought
Artemis was probably in the bottom 10 of
books we’ve read right correct yeah that
book was not good check us out next time
for the Martian we may or may to be
doing No Country for all men and we got
some other stuff coming in the future I
got a couple suggestions for you that we
can take Offline that was No Country for
Old Men by Corey McCarthy Keith’s great
talking to you and we’ll catch everybody
next time for the Martian alrighty bye
now
thank you